Here’s another «Palabras en español» post! This time, some students from SPAN 102 A&B (Beginning Spanish II, Spring 2023) share their favorite words in Spanish:

Amarillo
by Lily Ortiz-Perez
The word ‘amarillo’ means yellow in the English language. Yellow is the color in between green and orange in the spectrum, a primary subtractive color complementary to blue; colored like ripe lemons or egg yolks. Yellow comes from Old English, specifically the word ‘geolu’, it is also the color symbol assigned to the active and creative male Yang principle in China. Amarillo is also the name of a city in Texas. It sounds like “ama-ri-yo” not “ama-ri-lo”. Amarillo is a very simple word to learn, because it is a color and it is the color of many things, like flowers and the sun, for example. This word matters to me because both me and my partner are hispanic people and his favorite color is orange and mine is green, so yellow is the perfect combination color for the both of us. Amarillo is associated with happiness, life, light, and joy. It is the color of daisies and the sun that shines brightly in the sky. It is also the color that provides light while we are in the dark. Amarillo is also the color of highlighters that I use to highlight the important information in my study books as well as the words I don’t know for Spanish.

Ayuda
by Michael Kowalke
“Ayudar” simply means “to help”. The word directly stems from the Latin word adiutare, meaning “to help”. I was at work one day recently when I came across a text conversation that one of our salespeople had with a customer. This salesperson is fluent in Spanish, and frequently interacts with Spanish-speaking customers to assist them around the dealership. My journey with Spanish thus far has been difficult; however, when I was able to comprehend the customer’s phrase, “Gracias por su ayuda” I had never felt better. As someone who wishes to go into a sales role, being able to help both English and Spanish-speaking customers is very important to me. This was my first inclination that I will be able to utilize my learning of the language and culture in the real world. While I still have a long way to go before I am able to hold a conversation easily, every step of the way is important. Small milestones like these are what make the journey worth it. ¡Estoy muy entusiasmado!

Efímero
by Caitlyn Kowalski
Efímero translates to ephemeral. The meaning of efímero is to be short lived or lasting for a short period of time. The word comes from Ancient Greece and is pronounced as ef-e-mero. I think this word has a beautiful meaning that students from Valpo can really relate to. As a Junior, my college experience will be coming to an end next year and the time has flown by. College is a short four years of your life and can be some of the most important milestone years for a person. In the long run, four years go by quickly and it is important to make sure you spend this time wisely. Personally, I think college has passed by super quickly and I already have made more memories in my years here that will stick with me forever. I will always remember my time at Valpo and the people I have met. So, the word efímero was a good reminder to me and can be a good reminder to all of us that the time here is short lived and to make sure you enjoy it.

Elección
by Madeleine Koetke
The word elección means the act of making a choice. The root of it comes from the latin word electio, and is closely related to the english word for election. This can also be the Spanish word for election, it can also be the more formal act of making a choice, not just in elections. I chose this word because my experience with learning Spanish is entirely based on my own autonomy, and the choice I made to pursue something new. I took a different language for a very long time, but chose in college to pursue something I am passionate about. I think in this period of our lives we have more autonomy than we ever have before, and we need to claim that in an act of discovery – of both ourselves and the world around us. While reading about this word, I found that many languages have a term closely related to this one, which I think is genuinely really beautiful. The world is a huge, diverse place, but we all agree on this one concept of free will and making choices.

Equilibrio
by Lovie Malone
The definition of “equilibrio” is balance (stability; levelheadedness; harmony). The word comes from the Latin word “equal” and the Spanish word for “balance.” These words ultimately create the idea of balnce. The word can be used in reference to physical objects, or concepts such as mental stability. The word equilibrio significantly consisitenly refers to a calmness or peace. The word sticks out to me not only because of its meaning but also because of its pronunciation. When I began learning the Spanish language I could not pronounce equilibrio. I initially couldn’t shake making a “w” sound along with the “qu” and in lame terms the word just didn’t flow. But as I’ve progressed in my Spanish language speaking and pronunciation, I can speak the word correctly. Equilibrio is most important to me for the fact that it is often used to refer to a person’s mental state. Through many of my personal experiences, many of which I am currently going through, the idea and goal of having mental stability or “calmness/peace” is highly prevelent in my life and thinking. Therefore this gives a personal significant meaning to myself, and as a result the word “equilbrio” is a Spanish word I think of often!

Esperanza
by Abby Welsh
Esperanza has special meaning to me. It means hope and esperanzar means to give hope. I chose this word because not only does it sound very beautiful to me but it also has such a powerful meaning. In many Hispanic cultures, the religion of Catholicism is very prevalent. I have grown up Catholic, and I have been to several Spanish masses where the word esperanza has been used in a biblical sense. Esperanza to me is a guide through life. To always have hope and joy for the future even in the hardest of times. Having hope is something that I have been taught from a young age, and how keeping a positive attitude towards the future is what having hope really is. This word is also used as a name for girls, and my younger sister’s name is Hope in English which would be Esperanza in Spanish. The word stems from the Latin word for hope. My younger sister is my best friend and we are very close, so naturally the word has a special meaning to me because it makes me think of her. I chose this image to go along with the word esperanza because it is an image of a flower growing in a dark and dried up ground. The image is showing that even in the darkest of times, a flower can still sprout and be beautiful. This is also a metaphor for life.

Hermana
by Amanda Farmer
‘Hermana’ is a very common Spanish word and is often used even by people who are not very familiar with the Spanish language. The translation of hermana is sister. The word hermano/a originates from the Latin language and specifically the word ‘germanus’ which means of a brother or sister. This word is important to me because it is one of the first words I learned and spoke in the Spanish language to people who are native Spanish speakers. I learned the true meaning of Hermana when I went on my first mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico to an orphanage there. During that week, we became extremely close with the children and eventually they would come up to me and yell “mi hermana”. This made my heart beam because I felt their love! This continued throughout the week and the next year when I went back, some of them even remembered me and ran over saying “Mi hermana, Amanda!” The love and joy I felt with these kids is something I have never felt before! Overall, to me the word hermana gives off a feeling of home, love, joy and acceptance! The love I experienced from these kids is something I will never forget and thus I will never forget the word ‘hermana’.

Resplandor
by Sean Egan
The word resplandor – pronounced reh-splahn-door – can translate into different English words, but regardless of which word you translate resplandor into, it will always be a word about light. I came across the word “resplandor” when I went to find the Spanish translation of the English word “glow” on wordreference.com. On Collins Dictionary, I discovered that the word was first recorded around the year 1700. Its usage has dropped in frequency since the 1700s, probably because it’s an old (possibly archaic) term. I found that resplandor sounded sort of elegant and perhaps dramatic (in a good way), and I liked its versatility, for resplandor can mean glitter, shine, splendor, radiance, flash, light, brightness, and even glory. I even learned that the great movie (and book) The Shining is called El Resplandor in Spanish! (sí!!) Resplandor has some importance to me. For one thing, I am an astronomy major, so I’m familiar with bright and radiant things! The word also represents my language learning path. Learning Spanish is a path with light at the end of the path, and the light represents the opportunities and the world I can enjoy having mastered Spanish.